Lagos police nab fraudsters for hacking into 1000 bank accounts nationwide, using BVN linked numbers

The Zone 2 Police Command in Lagos State has confirmed the arrest of two fraudsters, in connection with the hacking of about 1000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria.

In a statement on Tuesday, spokesperson for the zone 2 police command, SP Hauwa Idris-Adamu,said that following a petition by the United Bank for Africa, the fraudsters, who specialized in hacking local banks, were apprehended at their base in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

The police identified the suspects as Yusuf Ademola, 40 years old, and Adesina Abiodun, 50 years old.

The command’s spokesperson said that police were on the trail of other accomplices linked to the crime.

The statement from Zone 2 police command read, “On May 8, 2023, a petition was submitted by United Bank for Africa to the Assistant Inspector General of Police that there are some syndicates that specialised in internet fraud of various banks in Nigeria, most especially United Bank for Africa, in which they hack into customers’ accounts and move their monies.

“Based on the petition, the AIG raised a team of detectives from the Zonal Monitoring Unit, who swung into action with the aid of modern technology, and two suspects, Yusuf Ademola, 40, and Adesina Abiodun, 50, were tracked down at their hideout in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

“The suspects confessed to the crime that they have many syndicates all over Nigeria and that they use software to hack into customers’ accounts and move their money undetected from any bank they wish. However, the modus operandi of these fraudsters is to have a customer’s BVN linked phone number and bank alert for easy transfer of the money.”

The spokesperson also observed that over 1000 customers’ accounts had been hacked into and defrauded across the country, adding that investigation into the incident revealed that members of the syndicate were drawn from different parts of the country.

Adamu said that investigation into the syndicate’s fraudulent acts is still ongoing, promising that the suspects would be facing prosecution soon on completion of the investigation.